Why doesn't Sara like Bellick?
by nursepower
Summary: Set after episode 15, where Michael gets burnt.
1. Chapter 1

Why Sara despises Bellick

Set during the last episode where Michael got burned also pretend there were no windows to the room they were in.

Sara sat quietly watching her patient sleep while trying to finish some charts. He looked so carefree in slumber. Not at all like his normal demeanor where he looks as though he's carrying the weight of the world and then some on his shoulders. She wondered what kind of baggage he could possibly be bogged down with, enough so that he guarded everyone and everything around him. As she was contemplating all these things and trying to figure out the puzzle that was Michael Scofield, she saw his eyelids begin to flutter.

She rushed to his side eager for some assurances that he was all right. "Michael, it's Sara. How do you feel?" He hesitated a moment or two to grasp his bearings before replying, "Groggy". "That's because of the anesthesia", he heard Sara tell him. "Why did I have anesthesia?" Michael asked, struggling to sit up on the cot. "We had to perform a procedure. Here are some painkillers", she offered him a small medicine cup with two oblong white pills and a Dixie cup of water. "How bad is it?" Michael wanted to know. "I would take the pills", she coaxed. "Do I get to see it?" he asked, wondering just how extensive the damage was. "The bandage stays on for now. Now take your pills". Sara watched him as he brought the medicine cup to his mouth and then take a drink after. While he was swallowing she decided to question him further. "Did your cellmate do this?" Michael looked like he was about to laugh at her. "Sucre? No." "Who did this to you Michael? Was it Bellick?" The fact that she brought up Bellick stumped him. "This is the part where I don't answer you" he stated matter-of-factly. He could tell Sara was frustrated with him. He wished he could tell her something, anything, so she would know he was worth the effort, but there wasn't much he could say without compromising the plan. "Michael, this is something Bellick would do. He's dirty and dangerous. If he did this, I need to know." She spoke as if she had experience and he watched as she absentmindedly ran her fingers over the right side of her chest just above her breast. Had she seen Bellick's dirty side, his dangerous side? Did he do something to her? What kind of history do they share? "You sound like you've had a run in with Bellick's dark side", Michael stated hoping she would open up to him. If she had some sort of history with him, his selfish side wanted to know.

He watched slowly as she crossed over the room to close the door to the exam room they were in. She thought maybe if she opened up to him, he would return the favor. Maybe if she could show him she trusted him, he would do the same. He sat quietly as she started to talk. "A few years back, I was dating a guy who was seriously into drugs and apparently owed people a lot of money. One day we were together and a man came over demanding money my boyfriend owed him for some coke. He didn't have the man's money and so the man threatened to shoot him. My boyfriend was scared and told the man, "If you let us call it even, I'll let you have my girl", meaning me. God, I was so pissed. Then the man agreed. I was so shocked that the man I thought loved me was offering me up as payment to save his sorry ass. The man pushed me to my knees in front of him". Michael grimaced at this. He didn't want to hear anymore. He wanted to yell to Sara to stop talking, but she was in a zone. She was retelling and reliving her story to him. "He told me to get on my knees and do what whores do best. I refused and told him to go to hell. He backhanded me so hard he broke my cheek bone". Michael watched as she ran her fingers over her right cheek, obviously remember the hit. Knocked me out cold. When I woke up, I was on the couch; with my boyfriend holding my arms down and this man was straddling me undoing his belt. I knew he was going to rape me and everything in me told me to fight. So when I got the opportunity I gave him a good knee to the groin. Needless to say he couldn't get it up after that", Michael watched her and was stunned to notice she has started to unbutton her shirt. She started at the top button and slowly worked down as she spoke. He was just about to ask her what she was doing when she finished her story. "So instead of raping me, he pulled out a knife and marked me", she stated coming to a stop in front of Michael and pulling the right flap of her shirt over to expose her right bra covered breast. Michael looked away before he could see anything. Sara got a stern voice. "Look at it Michael" she demanded and then softer with tears in her voice, "look at it". He turned his head slowly and came to see a small scar in the shape of the word "WHORE" carved into her chest. He wanted to run his fingers over it and magically make the scar disappear. He wanted to make her forget those memories. Whoever had done this wanted to make sure she would never forget.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked anguished. Sara talked as she buttoned her blouse. "Because you can imagine my surprise when I accepted a job offer and found that same man was the head C.O. of a prison. The man that tried to rape me was a cop", she stated getting some anger back and it dawned on Michael. "Bellick? Bellick did this to you?" "I've seen and lived through what he was and is capable of. He's not a good person. I'm scared for you Michael. You have received more injuries in two months than most inmates get in a year." "Sara…" he tried to come up with something but she continued. "I've read your file. I know you didn't really rob a bank. I talked to the teller and she said you and her chatted about a hamburger place for god's sake. She said it was as though you wanted to get caught. I know that you pleaded no contest at the trial and that you wanted to be sent here. I've racked my brain trying to figure out why. I thought perhaps you wanted more time with your brother, but you see him now as much as you would if you were a regular visitor. Then, I thought maybe you were trying to prove his innocence, but you could also do that a lot better from outside these walls. I know you are a structural engineer. I know that you weren't working in the crawl space on PI. So, I asked myself how you would know which way led to sickbay, and then while I was performing the procedure on your back I saw it. I saw the doors and halls. It's a map. It's a map of the prison. You came here to get him out."

Michael looked up and grabbed her arms. She could tell she went too far by the look on his face. "Listen to me Sara", he started with his jaw clenched. There was something in his eyes, she couldn't quite tell but it scared her. It wasn't anger exactly, more like fear. What was he so afraid of? "You have got to stop digging. This thing is bigger than the both of us and I can't…I won't see you brought into this. People are dying Sara. DYING, because they know too much or people thought they knew too much. You can't get involved." "I'm already involved. I was involved the day you stepped into Fox River. I did a little research, and unknowingly got myself involved further. And then you asked me to listen to Lincoln's lawyers and talk to my father and if I wasn't deep in it before I was at that moment." Michael sighed, "I know. I'm so sorry. I didn't know what else to do or where else to turn. But you can still get out. Maybe they don't know that you talked to your father or Veronica. Maybe you are still safe and as long as you are I want it to stay that way. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you." Michael finished by reaching up and cupping her cheek, rubbing his thumb over the spot she was touching just a few moments ago. She grasped his hand that was on her cheek. "Just promise me you will be okay out there", she whispered in all her vulnerability.

Without a knock, the door opened a bit and Sara could hear Bellick and Katie talking. "I don't give a shit whether she's done or not, it's almost time for count." Michael's hand shot away from the doctor and he grabbed his sweatshirt. She took a few steps back so the scene didn't look so intimate. Turning his head towards the room and opening the door a little more Bellick began, "You almost done Doc? Scofield needs to be present for count". "Two more minutes", Sara stated, leaning over to pick up her chart that she left haphazardly on the floor. Michael had just pulled his head through the hole of his sweatshirt when he noticed Bellick's eyes on parts of Sara that he shouldn't be looking at. When Bellick caught Michael staring at him he smirked and said, "Hurry up", and walked out of view, but leaving the door open. Michael was trying to put his right arm through his sleeve and grimaced in pain. Sara caught the look and went next to him to help. "Easy. I got it". Since she was in earshot Michael asked a question that was bugging him. "Why didn't you tell anyone?" She knew what he meant. Why didn't she tell anyone what Bellick did to her? "My father is the governor. Do you have any idea what this would do to his career if it got out?" "I would think you would be more important than his career", Michael said. "You would think so". The way Sara said it told Michael that she obviously wasn't more important to her father. "Besides, Bellick doesn't even remember it was me. He was so doped up that night; I'm surprised he was able to spell 'whore' right." He knew Sara was trying to make a joke, to lighten up the mood, but that comment stung him for some reason. His sweatshirt now on, he waited for her to look at him. Seeing his eyes and knowing he was bothered by her joke she took it back. "I'm sorry. That was in bad taste", and she went to move away, but he grasped her fingers. She turned back to look at him. "Thank you", and she knew he meant for more than taking care of his wound. He was thanking her for trusting him with her secret, for opening up to him, for caring about him, for worrying about him. He was thanking her for everything that she was to him. She simply smiled and watched him jump off the cot and walk towards the door. Right as he was about to pass through it he turned back and told her, "And Sara…I promise".


	2. Chapter 2

Why Sara despises Bellick Pt. 2

The Next Day

"Hey Sara, you got a package. I picked it up for you on my way in", Nurse Katie was saying bringing a small box into the Doctor's office.

"Thanks. Wonder what it could be?" Sara replied more to herself than the nurse.

"Looks like someone has a secret admirer", Katie teased as she left the room.

Attached to the top of the box was a card. Sara gently pried it off the box and opened the card, afraid to tear it.

"Dr. Tancredi, this is a matter of life and death. This box is only to be opened in the presence of Michael Scofield".

That puzzled Sara. Why would Michael need to be present for her to open the box? Perhaps it was from him and he wanted to see her reaction. Then she laughed at herself for her schoolgirl thoughts. Curiosity got the best of her and she picked up the phone to call A-wing.

"Hey Scofield, Doc wants to see you", Michael was confused to hear Bellick yell. It wasn't time for his shot yet. What could possibly be going on? Not that he minded going to see the doctor; he was just a creature of habit. He thrived on routine.

"It's not 3 yet. What's going on fish?" Sucre also noticed it wasn't time for Michael's daily visit with the doctor.

"I don't know", Michael stated as the cell door mechanically opened.

"Hello Mr. Scofield. You can go right in to exam 2. Dr. Tancredi is waiting for you. Would you tell her I'm taking a break too? She doesn't have any more appointments for an hour."

"Sure", Michael replied to the nurse and entered exam 2 to see Sara sitting on the backless stool with wheels. She was quite casual today. Her lab coat was nowhere to be found and she had the cutest little smile on her face.

"The nurse said she was taking a break and you have no appointments for the next hour", Michael relayed the message.

"Thank you", Sara stated simply.

"Is everything alright?" he questioned.

"Everything is fine, but I got this box and it says to open it in front of you and I just couldn't wait until 3. I hope you don't mind me calling you down early."

"No, not at all. Who's it from?" Michael asked, definitely leery as to why he had to be there.

"Only one way to find out", Sara stated and carefully opened the box. On top there was another piece of paper. She pulled it out and began to read to herself. Michael could see her eyes turn to fright.

"What does it say?" he asked impatiently. Sara kept looking at the paper and used one hand to cover her mouth in shock. Michael was tired of waiting and took the paper from her and read it out loud.

"One by one they fall like flies, One by one each of them dies."

And if that wasn't bad enough underneath there were pictures. He saw a picture of L.J.'s mom. There was a big red 'x' across her picture and underneath it showed one where she was lying on the ground dead in a pool of her own blood. Next was, LJ's step dad. His picture was also crossed out with another picture underneath of him dead on the grass. Another was one he recognized to be Veronica's building maintenance guy. Below his crossed out picture was a burned corpse. There were a few more crossed out with death photos beneath that he didn't recognize, but the one's that gave him a chill, were of him, Lincoln, LJ, Veronica, Nick, and Sara. And Sara's photo had a big red circle around it indicating she was next.

Michael grabbed the box from off Sara's lap to look at the return address, when an object fell out of the box. Sara was first in leaning over to pick it up.

"It's a watch", she stated, looking closer.

"It looks like it's…counting down. 9…8…7…"

Michael jumped up from his spot and grabbed Sara by the arm, shoving her out the door.

They were barely ten feet and two exam rooms away when an explosion shook the floor. Sara looked behind her as they ran and saw the fireball coming closer. As it passed by each exam room the windows were blown out. They got to the door as Sara fumbled with her access card. Why couldn't she get it to work? The door wasn't opening. They were going to be bar-b-cued in a matter of seconds.


	3. Chapter 3

Finally, the red light turned green and Michael pushed Sara through the door, shutting it behind him, hoping to contain some of the fire. It was right on them. Michael shoved Sara to the floor and covered her with his body, all the while shielding his head with his hands. Not a second after they were down, the window in the door burst out over their bodies and rained down on them.

When the glass stopped falling Michael chanced a look up behind him and noticed that the flames were retreating. Whoever sent the bomb knew what they were doing, adding enough chemicals for the blast and then a reagent to keep the whole place from burning. It was at that moment the fire alarms decided to go into action and a loud buzzing started throughout the area, and then the sprinklers came on dousing the two in water.

Michael looked back down to see Sara still laying face down shaking. Sara was relieved to have the weight of Michael on her to keep her safe from harm and from freaking out, which is what she wanted to do. Instead she had to get herself together. She was a professional and needed to act like one, not the scared little girl that was screaming to come out.

Michael brushed away some of the glass before rolling off of Sara to sit beside her. He then helped her to sit up. She looked far too shaky to stand and he cradled her head to his chest as they both looked at the door that was now windowless with burn marks around where the window had been. Sara seemed to be in shock as she fell limply into Michael's embrace.

"Sara, are you okay?" Michael questioned loudly to be heard over the fire alarm and the sprinklers, to which he received no reply.

"Please say something", he pleaded, so he could know she was all right, while at the same time running his fingers through her hair to remove any glass fragments that he wasn't able to shield her from. After a few seconds of agonizing silence he finally heard, "I should be dead".

What could Michael say to that? No, you shouldn't be? He couldn't deny it. They should both be dead. But she wasn't. He wasn't. He didn't think it would help to confirm it. He highly doubted Sara wanted to hear yes you should be dead. So he kept silent and continued to comb through her hair, waiting for the shock to leave her. He wondered when the cavalry would arrive. Had no one else heard or felt the blast? He was definitely expecting people by now and was surprised no one was coming. He also couldn't figure out how the C.O. and the nurse had the sense to leave the area. Did they know something would happen? Or was luck finally on his side?

Sara interrupted his thoughts by pulling slightly away saying, "Michael, you're bleeding".

Michael looked down to see a small patch of blood on his shirt. He looked closer and saw no hole in the fabric and looked back to Sara in confusion. She was sitting up and looking at him and that's when he noticed it.

"It's not me", he stated, using his sleeve to put pressure on the small gash to the left side of Sara's forehead. Sara winced as the material met her open flesh. She pulled his arm away to see the blood that was now on his sleeve and then put her palm to her head and back down looking at it to see it smeared with blood.

"How did that happen?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Must have happened when we went down", Michael stated, referring to their hasty duck and cover move.

"Are you okay?" he asked again, starting to sound redundant.

Again, she avoided the one question he really wanted an answer too.

"They know", she stated simply bringing her eyes to his.

"They know I'm involved", she explained further, looking at Michael with resigned acceptance. It was like she had accepted the fact that she was now in a race to survive. Every moment would now be an uncertainty. Is today the day they would try to kill her again? Is today the day they would succeed? And what disturbed Michael the most is that she seemed okay with it. She shouldn't have to seem okay with it. She should be outraged. She should blame Michael, hate him, yell at him, anything. But she didn't. She wasn't blaming him one bit.

He knew she was still in shock when she started rambling.

"You shouldn't have pulled me out of there. You should have left me there. They are going to try again, and now I know about it. In there, I didn't know it was going to happen. I would have been okay with that. Now I know and I'm scared. When they succeed will it be worse than this? Will it hurt more than getting blown up? Will it be just as quick?"

Michael had to stop her. She was talking nonsense. He put his hands on both sides of her face and tried to wipe away the water that continued to rain down on them.

"I'm not going to let them succeed", he assured her, looking into her eyes, seeing for the second time the fright, and uncertainty that she possessed, not at all the strong, stubborn doctor he dealt with every other day. The first time he saw that look was during the riot, when she was almost gang raped and killed. He vowed then he wouldn't let her get close. He had to keep a distance to keep her safe, but it didn't work and here they were again, sitting in a pool of water and glass and smoke and for the second time she had escaped death.

"You can't say that. You already told me yesterday that this is bigger than the both of us. If they want to succeed, they will", Sara stated simply.

Michael knew she was right, but before he could say anything the elevator dinged and the doors slowly slid open revealing first Warden Pope and beside him, Capt. Bellick and then behind him were firemen and finally some paramedics. The firemen exited first and found the switch to turn off the sprinklers, leaving Sara and Michael on the floor and wet. They were both soaked to the bone, their clothes clinging to their skin. Sara's shirt was almost see-through, revealing everything a shirt was supposed to hide.

Pope exited the elevator and took in the scene as he walked closer to Sara and Michael who were still on the floor.

"What the hell happened?" Bellick sneered, but only looking at Sara's see through shirt at the same time Pope asked if they were all right. Bellick kept staring at Sara's chest and it was really starting to annoy Michael. He finally turned to look to see what he was so interested in and saw her scar plain as day. It was then that the paramedics came over with some towels and Michael used one to put on Sara's back and wrap it over her shoulders covering her front. Sara clutched the towel to her, now realizing how cold and wet she was.

Sara kept her eyes locked onto Warden Pope, better him than Bellick. "A bomb", she stated simply and still appeared to be in shock. The firemen were already in the infirmary with fire extinguishers fighting back the remaining smoke and flames.

"Ouch", he heard Sara exclaim as the medics cleaned her wound. Finally with the blood gone, a bandage was placed on Sara's forehead.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" the paramedic asked Sara, holding up three fingers.

"How many am I holding up?" Sara asked returning the gesture with only her middle finger raised. Michael choked back a laugh as Pope intervened.

"She's fine. Thank you for coming", he said dismissing the medics, who were perturbed at the doctor's actions.

"Why don't we move somewhere else?" Pope suggested and watched as Michael stood and then held onto Sara's hands, guiding her to a stand. With any other inmate, that would have surprised Pope, but he knew Michael wasn't an ordinary prisoner. He didn't belong here any more than the kid who stole a pack of cigarettes. Seemed they were both in the wrong place at the wrong time and got the wrong judge. The other inmate had killed himself. Pope was not going to let that happen with Michael. Maybe that's why he tried to keep him out of the cellblock and away from the other inmates as much as possible.

"Bellick, I'm taking Michael and Sara to my office. You can finish this right?" and without waiting for an answer Warden Pope walked to the elevator and pushed the button.

"Cindy, can you hunt down a fresh pair of clothes for Scofield and the doctor?" Pope asked his secretary as they passed through to his private office, not waiting for an answer.

In record time, a knock was on Pope's door and the secretary had a full change of clothes for the pair. Michael had a whole new uniform down to the boxers and socks and shoes. For Dr. Tancredi, she had a pair of dark blue scrubs, with undergarments, socks, and tennis shoes.

"Thank you. That will be all" Pope dismissed the secretary. "Sara, why don't you change in here and get yourself warm. I'll take Mr. Scofield to the reception area to change".

Sara simply waited until they had exited and then she began to remove her clothes. Once she was stripped bare, she toweled herself dry and then put on the new clothes, adding her socks and shoes last. She was amazed that everything fit. It seemed like the prison had a set of clothes just for her.

She was trying to towel dry her hair when Michael and Pope came back into the room. Of all things going on right now, what she really wanted was a brush.

"I take it everything fit?" Pope asked on his way to his desk.

"Yeah, except I don't normally wear thongs", Sara was very blunt. For some reason she had been that way since the blast. Michael tried to contain himself at that mental image. He cleared his throat to interrupt the moment.

"Please sit", the warden motioned to both of them to the chairs in front of his desk as he sat behind it.

"How did you have clothes that would fit me?" Sara asked still confused as to why she had an extra set of clothes and still trying to dry her hair.

"It's in the procedure manual. In case there is ever a severe lockdown, we are required to keep a change of clothes for every staff member and inmate", Pope answered her.

"Now what happened?" Pope asked.

Sara began, "I received a package that said it had to be opened in front of Michael…I mean Mr. Scofield…".

"Sara you can use his first name I don't mind", Pope stated cutting her off.

"Okay. I received a package that said it had to be opened in front of Michael. His appointment is usually at 3, but I was so curious as to what was inside that I called him down early. I opened it and inside was a threatening letter. Michael grabbed the box to see who it was from when a watch fell out. I picked it up and noticed it was counting down. It was at 9 seconds when I looked at it. Michael pushed me out the door and we ran and then 'Boom'", Sara finished.

"It seems like it was the right thing to do to call him down early. Otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"I almost got him killed", Sara said a little more loudly than she had intended.

"Sara, if you hadn't called me down, you would be dead right now. That is a guilt I can't live with. I chose this. You didn't. Please don't feel guilty for calling me down early. I'm glad you did", Michael stated trying to relieve Sara's guilty feeling.

"Michael, do you have any idea why someone would send Sara a bomb and ask for you to be there when she opened it?"

"I do warden. But if I tell you, then you will be involved and then your life will be in danger", Michael answered.

"Son, my life is in danger every day I walk through these gates".


End file.
